NASA orbiter discovered Japanese lunar lander SLIM on the lunar surface after its landing
SLIM, or Smart Lander for Lunar Exploration, is operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). It landed on the Moon on January 19 in a precision landing, making Japan the fifth country to perform a soft landing on the lunar surface, after India, China, the United States and Russia (then the Soviet Union). Five days later, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft flew over the landing site and photographed SLIM.
Japan’s Sniper Moon (SLIM) probe lands on the Moon
On January 19, 2024, Japan’s national robotic spacecraft SLIM landed on the lunar surface, marking a huge success for Japan, making it only the fifth country to soft-land on Earth’s moon. The pioneers were the Soviet Union and the United States, which made their first flights to the lunar surface during the Cold War space race; then China, which successfully landed a probe in December 2013; India – Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover landed in August 2023. SLIM was expected to land within 330 feet (100 meters) of a target point on the rim of Scioli Crater, which explains the probe’s nickname “Moon Sniper.”